Cockatiel Dive Bombing me

[starsfan56]

My cockatiel is 2.5 years old now. He's a sweet bird, we have a lot of fun. We have really only one issue. Sometimes, we are having a good day, and then it's like Mr. Jekyll takes over. He will fly away from me, then start dive bombing my head. If I come close to have him step on my finger, he will try to bite. If I actually do get him on my finger he WILL bite, and hard.

When this occurs, I put him back in his cage and he stays there.

My question is - why? Why does Mr Jekyll take over my otherwise very loving bird? In the particular instance today, we had our normal morning routine with no variants and no new stimulations of any kind. I moved his cage into my work area, like I always do, let him out, and then the dive bombing started. Mind you, this was after he had already been out with me in the bathroom while I was getting ready for the day with no issues. He went from the bathroom back to the cage to eat his breakfast, and then back out for play time. Standard routine.

Any advice/comments would be appreciated. It's not that I can't deal with it, I'm just wondering a) what triggers it, b) how do other bird owners deal with this behavior?

Thanks!

[Mare]

Hi, starsfan. Welcome and I'm glad you joined us! I have a Sassy Goffin's girl that has multiple personalities, yikes! She can be the most loving one minute but don't you dare blink an eye,,monster mode comes next! I also have a cockatiel. Beautiful bird, loving bird..but only at a distance. He will come close, land on my shoulder, chirp away to me but if I try and touch him..forget it. Don't hold their biting you against them. It is a defense mechanism.

[plax]

Hi starsfan56... Does your bird's aggressive behavior seem to occur in one particular room?

[spiritbird]

Also is your bird getting a good nights sleep? Ideally, parrots should get from 10 to 12 hours of quality sleep without any human noises like TV, music or conversation. If not you may want to think about a sleep cage.

[Lady]

Hi Starsfan,
:th_welcome2: to the forum. I'm to new to give advice but if you stay active on the forum folks her will help you figure things out.

Hope you find the answer to help with this dive bombing issue, and I bet it will help others who might run into this problem.

[spiritbird]

There is a very good explanation by a vet on birds that have behavior issues. Dr. Bob speaks about giving the bird an enriching environment to keep them from being bored. Remember, they are still wild animals and not pets. [Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]

[2birds]

It could just be that he thinks it's fun to dive bomb and then when you try to get him to step up he bites because he's not finished having fun yet.

[Mare]

Lori, you crack me up! :th_biggrin: The dive bombers I've seen in my life were, Sassy Goffin's trying to move me out of a room she and my husband were in..and my umbrella cockatoo, Amigo, attacking my son in our yard. From what I can tell, it's a territorial move.